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Japan’s national sport wrestles with a generational change
As one legend departs, another star is rising. In a new era, sumo is grappling with its future.
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Japanese sumo wrestler Onosato (centre), the new yokozuna or grand champion, performing the ring-entering ceremony at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on May 30.
PHOTO: AFP
Gearoid Reidy
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Like a wrestler entering the ring, sumo is straddling the brink of a new era.
Japan’s national sport seems more popular than ever. Attendance has bounced back from the Covid-19 pandemic; all 90 days of bouts in 2024 were sold out. The Japan Sumo Association, which oversees the sport, is enjoying record revenues. This autumn, it will hold a tournament in London’s Royal Albert Hall, the first outside Japan in 20 years.
